Tag Archives: pancakes

Arts & crafts at the Kirstenbosch Market

Posted on by
2

Last Sun was market exploring day…

The first market I checked out was the Kirstenbosch Craft Market.  You’ll find it across the way from the main entrance to the Kirstenbosch Gardens, right by the 3 historical stone cottages, but only on the last Sun of every month from 9am to 3pm.  Except during Jun/Jul/Aug when it’s just too freakin’ wet & cold outside and then in Dec they bump it up to two weekends, obviously to capitalise on xmas spending and all that. ;)

We got there around brunch time, so first order of business was to check out their food & drink options.  I’m happy to report that on that front they have all the standard market delights covered:  good coffee – check; boerie/breakfast/lunch rolls – check; homemade baked goods – check; fresh lemonade – check; and most importantly pancakes – double check…

According to my friend Darryn, coffee is usually good when served in a non-branded eco friendly cup, just so you know, and then the pancakes were rocking at only R6 a piece. Mmmm.

With regards to the other stalls, this is a “Craft Market”, so arts & crafts and all things homemade is what is to be expected.  Anything from bags, clothes, jewellery & natural beauty producst, to home decor, plants & wine accessories.  There was also quite a lot of kids & pet stuff, so if you have either of those (or both) you’re totally sorted.

I spotted some things which peaked my interest though…  My boyfriend has been worried that I’m going through a huge “kitch Afrikaans decor” phase ever since I bought that adorable ceramic fish from Vamp Furniture.  Seriously, what’s wrong with my bloody fish!?  Anyhoo, to tease him a little I’ve been hinting (as a joke of course) to the fact that I soooo love doylies and floral printed melamine flooring, etc.  So when I found these dachshund door stoppers, I was really tempted to get one and be all like “I got you this as a gift for your apartment.  According to my ouma, they keep the cold wind and stuff out ya know…” :)

Helloooooo doggie!  Bjorn you like?  To each his/her own I always say.  If you like something, own it unapologetically…

Then I stumbled upon these VERY real looking porcelain babies.  My mom LOVES these and has a few back in PE.  Now as much as I’ll admit that the craftmanship is pretty impressive, to me they are just plain scary.  I mean come now, there’s been way too many movies about possessed dolls for me to not be suspicious.  I’m definitely not risking it by letting one into my home, just to wake up to it hovering over me in the middle of the night holding a kitchen knife.  Just sayin’.

Don’t look them straight in the eyes…  clearly Chucky has scarred me for life…

So ja, if you appreciate the artsy crafty side of life, you’re going to dig this market.  It certainly is in one of the prettiest settings in Cape Town and those pancakes were good enough to kill for.  It’s also doggy friendly, which makes sense because there are so many stall catering to them, it’s like a mini doggy shopping mall.  And it’s well known that doggies also want to be there to try outfits on before they commit. :)

xxx

The Cape Quarter Market

Posted on by
Reply

There’s a new market in town ladies & gentlemen… introducing the Village Market @ Cape Quarter!  The market launched this past Sun and will be open every Sun from 10am to 3pm.  They refer to themselves as:

A unique, European Lifestyle Market that supports local goods and produce, all the while striving to be as organic and environmentally friendly as possible.

But to be totally honest… the first thing that went through my mind was: “But will there be pancakes?” :)

We kicked off our market shopping with some interesting sounding spring rolls:

I went for the Thai hake & Braised Lamb… Mmmmmm…

Then I was also tempted to try a fresh pie.  My friend Johann had one and he looked pretty damn happy.  Just look at this awesome display of featherlight crust:

The lovely lady at the Frying Dutchman stand gave us some free “poffertjes” to sample – basically they’re like little pancake puffs sprinkled with cinnamon and dripping with chocolate sauce & fresh cream.  How great does that sound?

BOOM! These babies were absolutely delicious…

After that I had to be dragged away from the Voila! stand with all their evil cupcakes, tarts & macarons:

My friends totally fear my sugar high’s I think… mwhahahahahaha

Next we headed upstairs to what seems to be the main market area – but you’ll find stands all over the new Cape Quarter extension.  Here there was lots of seating place and it was buzzing with people.

The Heavenly Treats stand was a real stand out for me.  Those quiches just looked… well… heavenly!

And then for some reason the sight of this bagel stand just made me want to run up and jump right into that stack.  I dunno why exactly.  It must have been a carb attack. hehe.

My friend Grant, who loves to cook – especially curries & potjies – went mad when he saw all the spices on offer.  And I must say, it did make for quite a pretty photo:

He noted that a lot of these spices are very hard to come by, especially fresh, so this was a real score for him.  Good to know.  If I ever learn how to cook – I will keep this in mind. ;)

I was very tempted to support the oysters & champers stand… well more for the champers than the creepy, slimy, gross oysters (can you tell I don’t like them?).   But seeing as it was only 11am – we hadn’t quite reached “wine-o-clock” yet.

As we went back down, towards the outer edges of Cape Quarter, my dreams finally came true… we found the pancake stand!  (well the dude called them “crêpes” – but that’s just a fancy pants name for the same thing right).   This guy was a real pro – just look at the ultra smooth hand movement, creating the perfect thickness for the fluffiest pancakes ever:

Best R15 I’ve spent like ever…

After all that eating, I felt like I needed a nap.  But hey, that’s what Sundays are for! :)

All and all, I think this market offers up some great things.  I suspect that it’s going to become very popular.  I personally LOVE markets, so I think it’s truly great that Cape Town folk have yet another cool one to check out.

xxx

Exploring the Hope St market

Posted on by
9

It’s official name is the City Bowl Market and it’s situated at nr 14 on Hope St in Gardens.  Actually, just a 2min walk away from my apartment!  Sweet… :)

As you enter the market, you’re greeted by fresh flowers, fruits & veggies:

Even fresher than Woolies!

The market is split into two areas:  Downstairs you’ll find plenty of yummy food stands and upstairs there’s a small bar and then clothing, decor & jewellery stands.

Bring on all the good stuff...

You’ll find anything from freshly baked breads, homemade jams & pestos to ready-to-eat quiches, gourmet sandwiches and build-you-own omelettes (also check out the omelette hottie):

Hmmm... So many yummy options... and the food options were pretty good too... ;)

But we totally lost our brains when we discovered Saszali Chocolates!

Hold me back people...

Carefully handcrafted, beatifully packaged, 15 delicious flavours… I was in heaven.  We decided to splurge out on a box of 4 for R50.  I went for the following flavours:

  • Citrus Blossom: natural orange flavour, encased in the rich dark 70%
  • Twilight: a fusion of white chocolate, Malibu and pineapple
  • Noisette: filled with a hazelnut praline
  • Golden Thyme: a centre infused with fresh thyme and drizzled with plenty of honey

Just check out how absolutely beautiful their packaging is!  This is the little box your choccies come in:

They also have wooden boxes for larger selections as well. And also a super cute singlet box and gift bags.

And then once you open it up, you find your amazing little treats, individually wrapped each with it’s own little flavour story included:

To pretty to eat! OK, that's a lie... they didn't last very long...

And trust me, they taste just as good as they look!  It’s the perfect gift idea for any sugar lover out there.   I’m certainly going to be getting myself a couple of “gifts from me, to me”. ;)

The one thing I really liked about this market was that it’s not as crowded as the Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill.  But then again, I guess it’s just a matter of time before it becomes just as “hip” and popular.

Lots of seating place to sit enjoy your goodies

I was totally in awe of the cheese & cured meats on offer…  I love cheese & parma ham!   Mmmmm…. Just look at these amazing blocks of “boere kaas”:

If I got them all, would that be too much? Nah...

Oooh, and look at these lovely looking salads – which you could have “on a plate” for R45 or “in a pita” for R35:

Yum, yum, yum!

But as fresh, healthy and tasty as that looked… I was on a serious mission to indulge in all the “evil stuffs”…  One option was these delicious looking cupcakes:

Come to mama...

But then… the ultimate treat… pancakes! Mr Pancake Perfect himself, Siegfried Kitching, was there serving up fluffy & sweet perfection:

Took me back to my childhood... I used to loooove those "kerk bazaar" pancakes the church ladies used to serve up...

Next we headed upstairs. Now I’m not a vintage clothing person (it just slightly creeps me out that someone else has worn the clothes), but if that is your thing, then you’ll find lots of treasures here.

Just make sure you have enough time to 'hunt' for that perfect item

I was excited to see the Jam stand – they sell “beautiful things with love”. I’ve seen some of their things in little decor shops and I especially love their heart shaped wooden cutting boards.

I'm a total sucker for anything with a ♥ on it

As for the jewellery options – I was fascinated by Zoe Designs.  Designer Helen du Toit makes beautiful, unique rings with antique teaspoons and cake forks:

Such a cool idea!

These next ones have been hand cut with pretty designs.  The bowl of the teaspoon forms the accent part of the ring:

Absolutely gorgeous...

Some other fun things were the oh-so-pretty brooches from Bow Peep:

Loved the mix of fabrics. They do hair accessories & buttons as well.

But after all those creative vibes, our brains needed a break, so we checked out the little bar area:

Take some time out to do a wine tasting, or sample on of the beers from several interesting microbreweries.

Here you get a nice view of the ground floor, you can see at this point it was really buzzing:

I'm watching you market goers... mwhahahahaha...

For me, it was a bit too early for wine or beer.  So I rather opted for a flavour packed cappuccino:

Coffee that packs a punch! It was brilliant.

I have to say though, they do need more than just one coffee stand.  That queue was loooooong and there’s nothing worse than cranky caffeine freaks. haha

But that’s it people.  Go check it out.  It really is quite charming, and seeing as it’s pretty much right on my doorstep, I will be visiting it frequently I’m sure.

xxx

Damn you Bastille Festival!!!

Posted on by
6

Aaarrrggghhh…  I’m feeling like total poo today!  Not even my usual Myprodol fix has made a dent.  So why am I feeling this way exactly?  Well because I  had a freakin’ awesome time at the Bastille Festival in Franschhoek yesterday!

Having recently (ok not so recently) turned 30, I now have to start acting like a responsible adult every now and again.  Well I try my best…  So we decided to get a shuttle service to drive us to Franschhoek and back.  Didn’t cost too much, only R125 pp between 8 of us.  This meant as much debauchery as we wanted! Woohoo!

Two of the gals in our group went all out and dressed to theme – which is something I will have to do next year for sure.  Here’s Clouds looking uber chic in her French inspired number:

What this? Oh I just threw it together in seconds...

And just look at the cute earrings Tess was rocking:

Viva la France bitches!

Here’s a pic of the whole gang – still looking all fresh and ready to go:

Watch out Franschhoek, the chickas have arrived...

OK onto the food & wine… entrance to the main marquee cost R100 and they were sold out!  Which meant there were a lot of very disappointed people standing outside – looking totally miserable. HAHA to you!  Luckily I was clever enough to pre-book my ticket on Webtickets before hand.  (A good tip for everyone planning to go next year)

The marquee was lined with awesome food & wine stands.  And then there was also a little stage area with some live music.

Ta da! Welcome to food & wine heaven...

You got 5 wine sample tickets and a free tasting glass upon entry… so we decided to get cracking and check out everything that was on offer.

Wine, strawberries and pretty girls in short outfits... marketing genius!

Leigh almost lost her brain when she spotted these:

Hmmm... I'm not sold on these babies...

Now I have never actually tried one.  But I just can’t get past the snotty looking goo part.  It’s totally gross man!  At only R8 a pop though, Leigh was in heaven.  I much rather prefer CHEEEESE…

Yeah baby! Now you're talking...

The brie was my favourite.  And I so wanted to buy some before we left, but then I got too drunk and totally forgot.  Bummer.  Anyhoo – Graham Beck, one of my favourites, was also there and had a very pretty stand:

I'd like all of it please!

And then I was very excited to see Chamonix wines!  I’ve actually been in Chamonix in France, so I was super excited to be tasting some “real deal” French wine again.  But turns out its actually made here in SA… hmmm, false advertising!  But it was pretty good nonetheless.

The "not so French" French wine

Haute Cabriere was there as well – I love their Pierre Jourdan sparkling wines soooo much, I tried to steal a bottle.

This is a fake smile lady... just hand over that bottle!!!

Now I knew I was in for a looooong day of drinking – so I decided to line my stomach well.  First I had a French style lamb burger from Le Caurtier Francais – it was so delicious, I had sauce all over my face as I murdered it!

Yum yum yum!

For dessert I had some “regte egte Afrikaans tannie pannekoeke”.  Now, I seriously love pancakes.  Like seriously… if I happened to be standing next to a innocent little kid who was about to dig into one, I would grab it right from underneath that little kid’s nose without even blinking. Due to this “passion” of mine, I also have really high standards.  They were only R5 and looked all fluffy and perfect:

Hmmm... looks top notch...

Sadly… they totally skimped on the cinnamon sugar and it was super bland.  I almost freakin’ cried… sob. :(   Luckily I had this to cheer me up:

Who's your true friend? Champers of course!

We organised ourselves a sweet spot at a table outside and settled in to enjoy the sunshine (was an awesome 25 degrees yesterday – is it still winter btw!?!).  Basically the rest of the day consisted out of lots of drinking, chilling, chatting, laughing & some drunken pictures… like this one…

Looking a bit "glassy eyed" there girls... :)

And this one…

Lara still looks good... but you can see at this point that I'm fading fast. haha

It was only a matter of time before “Kandi” arrived…  ready for world domination of course!

Stolen hat - check, Dr Evil pose - check, something "bad" to follow - oh hell yes!

Luckily though, they managed to get me back onto the shuttle just in time to avoid my evil plotting coming to fruition. haha! :)

Back at home, I passed out at around 8pm – after shoveling down a massive chocolate cup cake and a big chunk of cheese – nice combination huh.  The choices you make when you’re drunk…  I woke up this morning still clenching the little cup cake wrapper thingy in my hands…

Oh well, the little bit of pain & suffering today is totally worth it, cause we had such an amazing day yesterday.  I can’t wait for next year!

OK, gonna go nap now. xxx